Bail for paint cans or the like



June 23, 1925. 7

- J. c. TALIAFERRO, JR

BAIL FOR PAINT CANS on THE LIKE Filed July 20, 1925 Patented June 23, 1925.

UNETED STATES 1,543,466 PATENT. OFFICE.

JOHN C. TALIAFERRO, $3., OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO' CONTINENTAL CAN COMPAfVY, ING, OF SYRACUSE, NEW! YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BAIL FOR PAINT CANS OR THE LIKE.

Application filed July 20, 1923.

T 0 all wizom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN C. TALIAFERRO, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at city of Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bails for Paint Cans or the like, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in wire bails for paint cans or the like, and more particularly to a can having dome shaped perforated ears secured to the outer wall of the can at diametrically opposite sides thereof.

An object of the invention is to provide a wire bail construction which may be permanently attached to the ears of the can after the can is completed and cars secured thereto without any bending or re-shaping of the bail but simply by a spring of the metal to start the end of the bail in the perforated car.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a sectional view showing a can having a bail embodying the improvements attached thereto;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing one end of the bail attached and the other end of the bail in position to be attached to the can and in dotted lines the spring of the bail to bring about the attachment thereof to the ear.

Fig. 4 is a side view of the can with the bail positioned as shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail showing a portion of one end of a slightly modified form of bail.

The invention is directed to a wire bail for cans such as paint cans or the like. The can is provided with a dome-shaped perforated ear at each side thereof, and these cars are preferably arranged at diametrically opposite points. The ears are preferably soldered to the outer wall of the can. The improved bail is adapted to be attached to the can after it is completed.

The bail is preferably made of heavy Wire, which is slightly resilient, and at each (nd of the bail there is an inwardly and upwardly extendingopen spiral supporting hook, the free end of which is tapered to form an entering wedge adapted, when the Serial No. 652,815.

end of the bail is sprung into the opening in upright position will cause the spiral end thereof to screw into the opening in the ear. The bail is permanently held attached to the ears of the can by the resiliency of the Wire forming the bail, as this end of the open spiral hook is so positioned thatit can only be entered in the opening in the car through the combined action-of springing the metal to a slight extent and the entering wedge on the end of the wire forcing its way in.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, I have shown the invention as applied to a metal can 1, preferably cylindrical in form,

although this is not an essential part of the invention. At opposite sides of the can there are ears 2-2, each of which is perforated, as indicated at 3. These ears are preferably soldered to the can body, and the can with the ears attached is completed before the bail is attached thereto.

The improved bail consists of a bowed wire l which is preferably a comparatively heavy wire, so that it will readily retain its shape and not be distorted or bent through the weight of the contents of the can. The can is especially adapted for paints and, therefore, the bail must be comparatively strong and permanently attached to the can so that it will not become disconnected through the weight of the contents of the can.

At each end of the bail there is an open spiral supporting hook 5. The wire of the bail is bent inwardly and upwardly, as indicated at 6, and continues around in a spiral form to a point well above the initial bend 7 which acts as the supporting part of the hook when the bail has been properly assembled on the can. The extreme inner end of the spiral hook is beveled as at 8, and this beveled portion is so formed that the high point 9, as viewed in Fig. 3, is at the extreme inner upper end of the spiral.

One end of the bail is readily placed in the ear at one side of the can, and the other end of the bail is then brought to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4;. It will be noted that the end of the spiral hook is so shaped that it cannot be inserted in the eye of the ear until the end of the bail is sprung to the dotted line position. This springingof the bail is not a re-shaping of the bail, but is clearly within the limits of the resilience of the wire so that, when it is released, it will spring back to the normal position shown in full lines. The bail is sprung, as shown in dotted lines in Fig.3, so as to bring the spiral hook of the bail just inside of the inner end of the ear. The bail is then raised to vertical position, and as it is raised, the spiral end will be screwed in the opening in the ear, as shown in Fig. 1. The resiliency of the metal, as above noted, will return the parts to the normal position and the bail will be thns permanently secured to the ears. The weight of the can, as been stated, is carried by the lower portion of the spiral hooks on the ends of the bail. In the form of bail shown in Fig. 5, the spirals on the ends of the bails are a little bit more closely formed. In this form of the bail end, said bail can be inserted in the pivoted ears in the same way and caused to enter the same, and the rounded spiral ends of the bails will possibly have a little smoother bearing in the ear for the raising and lowering of the bail.

I am aware of the fact that bails have been attached to completed cans having perforated ears by a bending of the metal of the bail. This has its objections in that it is extremely dithcult to re-shape the bail after it is attached to the can so as to form symmetrical bail. Furthermore, the bail is likely to be bent in handling, to bring the parts of the bail into position where the bail may become disconnected from the ears of the can. The present bail can be attached to the can Without any i e-shaping of the bail, and by merely springing the parts within, the limits of the resiliency of the wire form-l. ing the bail.

What I claim is:

A wire bail for cans or the like having perforated ears, said bail having its ear engaging portions bent inwardly and upwardly into open spiral supporting hooks when the bail is in vertical or raised position, the free end of the bail at the terminal of the spiral being tapered to a point to form an entering wedge adapted when the end of the bail is sprung into the opening in the ear to engage the inner wall of the ear so that a turning of the bail when the'bail is in lowered position will cause the spiral end thereof to screw into the opening in the ear and be permanently held attached to the can.

In testimony whereof, I ai'iix my signature.

JOHN C. TALIAFERRO, JR. 

